Stolen Glances
by Courvoisier
Summary: They were back to how it started: stolen glances. That's all it ever had been, and all that would ever be between them. DRAMIONE; ONE SHOT.


A small breeze ruffled the branches of the trees, causing the sound of leaves being carried away. It was early October with a light chill in the air with signs of winter coming unfortunately early. The late rays of sun lit the sky and shown light on the only two people standing out by the lake that evening. Draco looked over at the brunette standing beside him, taking in how the sun hit her face. She wouldn't look at him, her gaze set pointedly out across the lake. Her posture rigid and just looking at her he could sense the tension in the air. There was just something ominous about her, and as much as he hated to admit it he had a feeling that what she was about to say was something he had foreseen coming months ago, something he truly didn't want to hear. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he had grown to like her more than he ever should have.

She took in a deep breath, still staring at how the sun was beginning to sink behind the trees. "Draco," she began quietly, clenching her fists at her side.

He studied her, waiting for her to continue on. He felt like he was almost holding his breath, bracing himself for the impact of words that he was sure would come.

"I can't-" she started, "-I just can't do this anymore. I don't want it to always have to be this way. I guess… it's just- I can't anymore. It isn't fair to Ron."

Laughing quietly under his breath at her words, "or is not fair to me?" As he suspected, his comment silenced her.

"Do you love me?"

Her question had caught him completely off guard, it was his turn to look off and not look at her. The words echoing in the back of his mind, he didn't know what to tell her. Draco didn't believe in love, it wasn't something that existed in this world. Love was just an excuse for people to act like idiots around each other; they needed something to blame for their own actions so they'd simply turn around and blame it on love. He couldn't fall in love. He couldn't fall for something that didn't exist. Clenching his jaw, he remained silent.

He'd never tell her that he had been beginning to question his own opinion on it lately. He couldn't tell her if he couldn't even admit it to himself.

Love wasn't real.

He didn't love her.

He couldn't love her.

For some reason there was a little voice in the back of his mind wanting him to say yes. Pushing it back, he slowly looked over and met her gaze for just a moment. Tears glazed her brown eyes and she broke eye contact and looked away once more, taking in a shaky breath. "That's all I wanted to know, and I got my answer."

Tense silence settled between them for just a moment, but she broke it.

"That really was all I needed to know. What happened between us… that was nothing," she murmured to him. Taking a step away, she turned her back to him. Draco had a feeling she was trying her hardest not to cry. As much as he hated to admit it, he felt horrible causing this. That little voice in the back of his mind was still there, nagging him to say those three words that he didn't believe in.

"It never happened. Nothing happened. There was never anything between us," she said to him before walking toward the castle where everyone else was gathered in the Great Hall, probably eating dinner.

He watched her go without making a single effort to chase her. There was that small part of him that wanted to, but he couldn't. He couldn't follow her; he couldn't tell her what she wanted to hear. He was already too far gone, he felt too much toward her that shouldn't be there. The feeling he got when he pressed his lips against her own, the feelings he got from when her hands would run over him- those were things that should never have even been created or discovered. The fact that he often found himself thinking of her before he fell asleep was almost embarrassing, that also should never have happened. It had just been a lapse of judgement that night that had continued to go on for too many months. He blamed it on the fact that they had just been lost, hurting, confused, he refused to give it any other reason.

As he made his way in to the Great Hall, he couldn't help but to look over at the Gryffindor table where she sat down with him. He leaned over and pressed his lips against hers, their smiles made him feel sick with some twisted sensation of possessive jealousy. Clenching his jaw even harder, he sat down at the Slytherin table beside Blaise. He ignored his questioning on where he had been earlier, still staring over at the Gryffindor table.

And just for a moment, she looked over that way too and their eyes met. It had just been for a second, not long enough for anyone to notice. He could just see the sorrow and pain in her eyes before she shifted herself closer to Ron, as if she was trying to drive him crazy. They were back to how it started: stolen glances. That's all it ever had been, and all that would ever be between them.

_**AN: Anddd here was my attempt at the Dramione challenge. Not stoked on it.**_


End file.
